{"id":59028,"date":"2026-06-07T19:45:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T00:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=59028"},"modified":"2026-06-08T10:50:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T15:50:31","slug":"hamlin-charges-from-rear-to-win-firekeepers-casino-400-at-michigan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/07\/hamlin-charges-from-rear-to-win-firekeepers-casino-400-at-michigan\/","title":{"rendered":"Hamlin charges from rear to win FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN – JUNE 07: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 National Debt Relief Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 07, 2026 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

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By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

On an action-packed afternoon where perseverance proved as important as raw speed, veteran Denny Hamlin pulled off an amazing run from the rear of the starting grid to claim the checkered flag taking his second consecutive and fourth overall trophy in the NASCAR Cup Series\u2019 FireKeepers Casino 400 at a sold-out Michigan International Speedway.<\/p>\n

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BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN – JUNE 07: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 National Debt Relief Toyota, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 07, 2026 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Brett Farmer\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

The massive effort marked Hamlin\u2019s 63rd career win \u2013 tying him with the late Kyle Busch for ninth-place on the NASCAR Cup Series all-time wins list. And as importantly, the showing \u2013 combined with points leader Tyler Reddick\u2019s first DNF of the season \u2013 cut Hamlin\u2019s deficit to Reddick nearly in half. He now trails him by only 51 points with 11 races left to settle the NASCAR Cup Series regular season title.<\/p>\n

Hamlin, 45, celebrated the milestone victory \u2013 his third of the year and second consecutive last-to-first efforts in as many weeks – by waving a black and white No. 18 \u201cKyle Busch\u201d flag outside his driver\u2019s window driving around the track for a victory lap \u2013 capped by a long burnout. The ode to the two-time series champ Busch, Hamlin\u2019s former teammate who passed away suddenly two weeks ago from pneumonia and sepsis, received huge applause and a standing ovation from the massive grandstand crowd.<\/p>\n

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BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN – JUNE 07: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 National Debt Relief Toyota, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 07, 2026 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Although Hamlin won pole position for Sunday\u2019s race, he started from the rear of the 37-car field after the team made adjustments after qualifying. The opening stage was mostly frustrating for Hamlin, who only managed to run between 20-30th place early. But the perennial championship contender and his JGR team made adjustments all day and he was running top-five by lap 140 of the 200-lapper. And moving forward quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat car, unbelievable,” Hamlin said thanking his crew after taking the checkered flag.  After a day where patience and confidence mattered most, his No. 11 Toyota led 40 laps \u2013 including the final 39 of the 200-lap race – and pulled away to an amazing 11.110-second win over fellow Toyota driver, Legacy Motor Club\u2019s Erik Jones.<\/p>\n

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BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN – JUNE 07: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 National Debt Relief Toyota, waves an 18 – 8 flag in honor of the late Kyle Busch after winning the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 07, 2026 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Brett Farmer\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cJust amazing,” Hamlin said of his car and crew. \u201cThat last run there, just hammered down. Had a few good restarts and once I got the lead, laid out all I had.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe offseason was rough for me, rough for NASCAR family. We lost a lot of people This week we lost Gentleman Ned (Jarrett) and still thinking of Kyle (Busch), (his wife) Samantha (and children) Brexton and Lennix.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust grateful to be able strap in every week and I don\u2019t take it for granted this opportunity that I\u2019m in. Just love that we\u2019re making the best of it.”<\/p>\n

A record 11 caution flags \u2013 plus a 20-minute red flag – flew for incidents and accidents throughout the afternoon – involved half the field to varying degrees. And while the stoppages slowed the race, it also allowed drivers to save enough fuel late enabling them to make the checkered flag without losing positions on extra pit stops.<\/p>\n

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BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN – JUNE 07: Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, leads the field to the green flag to start the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 07, 2026 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Brett Farmer\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Although Hamlin was far in front of the field, the positions just behind him were decided in the closing laps. The runner-up showing was the Michigan-native Jones\u2019 best of the season. Bubba Wallace finished third in the 23XI Racing Toyota co-owned by Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan. Hendrick Motorsports\u2019 Kyle Larson was fourth in the No. 5 Chevrolet with Spire Motorsports\u2019 Carson Hocevar rounding out the top-five in the No. 77 Chevrolet.<\/p>\n

\u201cLot of opportunities there to get stage points, but if we can go up there and challenge for a win, we\u2019re going to do that,” said Jones, whose primary team owner is seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.<\/p>\n

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BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN – JUNE 07: Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK Toyota, and Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 07, 2026 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Brett Farmer\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve got a good package and our group is rolling really well as a team. We\u2019re executing well. Just got to do every little thing right and it [win] will come. You run up front and it\u2019s going to happen for you.”<\/p>\n

A nine-car chain-reaction wreck early in the race eliminated championship leader, and the 2024 Michigan winner Reddick from contention. Another dramatic incident with frontrunners Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell with 51 laps to go necessitated a 20-minute red flag to repair the track wall.<\/p>\n

That red flag was necessitated after a hard collision between the two trophy contenders as they ran side-by-side vying for second place. Elliott\u2019s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet got loose and moved up track and into Bell\u2019s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.<\/p>\n

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BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN – JUNE 07: A general view of racing during the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 07, 2026 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cTotally my fault. I feel so bad for Christopher [Bell],\u201d said Elliott, who won Stage 2 and led a race best 67 laps on the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas trying to make use of fresh tires and at least get to second and hopefully stay side by side with him.,” he continued. \u201cGot in there and got free. Thought I was going to spin and was kinda committed to spinning out and as soon as I started to commit to spinning it just hooked up, hooked right and unfortunately sent Christopher into the wall super hard and me shortly there behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust racing really hard. I felt like it was turning point of the race and I needed to make something happen and stepped over the line and paid for it. I just told him  (Bell) I was sorry. Obviously, it was not on purpose, but I knew it was a really big hit for both of us. I think he took the brunt of it, honestly, with two really big hits. I have a lot of respect for Bell and feel like we always race each other with respect on track. I don\u2019t want that to happen to anyone. It was a big one and certainly not intentional.”<\/p>\n

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BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN – JUNE 07: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 National Debt Relief Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 07, 2026 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

It was an especially tough outing for the season\u2019s championship leader Reddick, who won the opening stage \u2013 his first of the season \u2013 but was among those collected in a nine-car accident on a Lap 83 restart. A chain reaction collision on the fourth row of the triggered by Hocevar eliminated a large contingent of potentially race-winning entries.<\/p>\n

Hocevar\u2019s Chevrolet hit the rear of John Hunter Nemechek\u2019s Toyota just after the field took the green flag on the restart, collecting Reddick and others running among the lead pack. Hocevar continued \u2013 leading 22 laps on the day en route to his top-five finish.<\/p>\n

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BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN – JUNE 07: Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Menards\/RichmondWaterHtrs Ford, waits backstage during pre-race ceremonies prior to the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 07, 2026 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cMan, I didn\u2019t mean to do that,” Hocevar said after the race. \u201cI obviously feel bad I wrecked them, but my intention wasn\u2019t to tear them up or wreck them by any means. Next time I know what to do a little differently there.”<\/p>\n

Spire\u2019s Daniel Suarez \u2013 who won at Charlotte two weeks ago \u2013 finished sixth followed by three-time series champion, Team Penske\u2019s Joey Logano whose seventh-place effort marked his fifth top-10 of the season. Logano\u2019s teammate Ryan Blaney was eighth in the No. 12 Ford, followed by Roush Fenway Keselowski\u2019s Chris Buescher and JGR\u2019s Chase Briscoe.<\/p>\n

Not only was the top of the championship standings drastically affected Sunday, but only 26 points now separate 14th place Shane Van Gisbergen from 17th place Logano with the top-16 drivers advancing to The Chase which begin Sept. 6 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.<\/p>\n

The NASCAR Cup Series moves to another of its traditional venues next week, Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, for Sunday\u2019s Great American Getaway 400 at the famous 2.5-miler (3 p.m. ET on Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Briscoe is the defending race winner.<\/p>\n

Interviews:<\/h3>\n

NCS Race Winner – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) – <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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NCS Winning Crew Chief – Chris Gayle (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) –<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/NCSCrewChiefMichigan26.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

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NCS Winning Ownership – Joe Gibbs –<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GibbsMIS.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

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NASCAR Cup Series Race – FireKeepers Casino 400<\/b><\/p>\n

Michigan International Speedway<\/b><\/p>\n

Brooklyn, Michigan<\/b><\/p>\n

Sunday, June 7, 2026<\/b><\/p>\n

                1. (1)  Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

                2. (10)  Erik Jones, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

                3. (13)  Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

                4. (7)  Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

                5. (2)  Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

                6. (11)  Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

                7. (18)  Joey Logano, Ford, 200.<\/p>\n

                8. (19)  Ryan Blaney, Ford, 200.<\/p>\n

                9. (14)  Chris Buescher, Ford, 200.<\/p>\n

                10. (5)  Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

                11. (31)  Austin Cindric, Ford, 200.<\/p>\n

                12. (15)  Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

                13. (12)  Riley Herbst, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

                14. (17)  John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

                15. (37)  Josh Berry, Ford, 200.<\/p>\n

                16. (32)  Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

                17. (25)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

                18. (9)  William Byron, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

                19. (29)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

                20. (28)  Austin Hill(i), Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

                21. (36)  JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, 199.<\/p>\n

                22. (35)  Todd Gilliland, Ford, 199.<\/p>\n

                23. (33)  Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 198.<\/p>\n

                24. (24)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 196.<\/p>\n

                25. (4)  Ty Gibbs, Toyota, Accident, 187.<\/p>\n

                26. (20)  Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, Accident, 158.<\/p>\n

                27. (22)  Noah Gragson, Ford, Accident, 156.<\/p>\n

                28. (27)  Ryan Preece, Ford, Accident, 155.<\/p>\n

                29. (23)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 154.<\/p>\n

                30. (30)  Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, Accident, 154.<\/p>\n

                31. (8)  Christopher Bell, Toyota, Accident, 147.<\/p>\n

                32. (6)  Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, Accident, 147.<\/p>\n

                33. (16)  Zane Smith, Ford, Accident, 141.<\/p>\n

                34. (26)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, Accident, 89.<\/p>\n

                35. (3)  Tyler Reddick, Toyota, Accident, 83.<\/p>\n

                36. (21)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Accident, 82.<\/p>\n

                37. (34)  Connor Zilisch #, Chevrolet, Accident, 8.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  123.935 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 13 Mins, 39 Secs. Margin of Victory:  11.110 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  11 for 54 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  23 among 11 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   C. Hocevar 1-14;T. Reddick 15-47;T. Gibbs 48;R. Chastain 49;T. Gibbs 50-51;B. Wallace 52-57;C. Hocevar 58-64;T. Gibbs 65-67;*. Yeley(i) 68;C. Elliott 69-70;K. Larson 71;C. Elliott 72-89;K. Larson 90-92;C. Elliott 93-94;B. Wallace 95-97;C. Elliott 98-122;D. Suarez 123;C. Elliott 124-143;D. Hamlin 144;*. Yeley(i) 145;W. Byron 146-152;D. Suarez 153-161;D. Hamlin 162-200.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Chase Elliott 5 times for 67 laps; Denny Hamlin 2 times for 40 laps; Tyler Reddick 1 time for 33 laps; Carson Hocevar 2 times for 21 laps; Daniel Suarez 2 times for 10 laps; Bubba Wallace 2 times for 9 laps; William Byron 1 time for 7 laps; Ty Gibbs 3 times for 6 laps; Kyle Larson 2 times for 4 laps; * JJ Yeley(i) 2 times for 2 laps; Ross Chastain 1 time for 1 lap.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 45,54,77,9,23,38,5,17,35,7<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 9,43,7,5,24,20,77,11,22,38<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service On an action-packed afternoon where perseverance proved as important as raw speed, veteran Denny Hamlin pulled off an amazing run from the rear of the starting grid to claim the checkered flag taking his second consecutive and fourth overall trophy in the NASCAR Cup Series\u2019 FireKeepers Casino […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":59041,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[41,219,16],"class_list":["post-59028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-denny-hamlin","tag-michigan-international-speedway","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2280393232-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-fm4","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59028"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59050,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59028\/revisions\/59050"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}